North Eastern Space Applications Centre

Two weeks short course on “Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Forestry and Ecology” was conducted by the Forestry and Ecology Division (FED), NESAC, during September 08–19, 2025, at the NESAC Outreach Facility. A total of 21 participants attended the course, including officials and field staff from Forest Departments of the North Eastern Region (NER), university faculty, professionals from NGOs, research scholars, and students. The inaugural programme began with a welcome address by Dr. Kasturi Chakraborty, Head, FED. Smt. H. Suchitra Devi, Course Director, gave an overview of the course, followed by the introduction of participants. Dr. K. K. Sarma, Group Head, RSAG, shared his remarks and encouraged participants to make the most of the training. Dr. S. P. Aggarwal, Director, NESAC, delivered the inaugural address, highlighting the role of geospatial technology in forestry applications. Dr. K. Ravichandran, IFS, Director, Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), was invited as the Chief Guest for the inaugural program. He delivered a talk on tools and technologies for forest and wildlife management.
The course curriculum included fundamental concepts of remote sensing, GIS, GPS, and hands-on training with remote sensing data and relevant software. To provide practical exposure to satellite imagery and its real-world applications, a field visit to Sohra was conducted on September 13, 2025, along with a facility visit to NESAC on September 12, 2025. Four group-wise mini projects were carried out by participants. Project outcomes were presented by the lead member of each group.
The valedictory program of the course was held on September 19, 2025, during which the course report was presented by Dr. Dhruval Bhavsar, Course Officer. Certificates were distributed to participants by the Director, NESAC, followed by his interaction with the participants. The program ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Kasturi Chakraborty, Head, FED.